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If apple developed an eBook, what would it look like?

What would an eBook look like?

  • The current 12.1 "iBook

    Votes: 7 19.4%

  • A 12.1" laptop w/o combo drive under 1 in/2.5 cm thick

    Votes: 4 11.1%

  • A subnotebook with a combo drive

    Votes: 7 19.4%

  • A subnotebook under 2 pounds (1 kg)

    Votes: 6 16.7%

  • Why should apple make an eBook?

    Votes: 21 58.3%
  • Total voters
    36
Over Achiever

Over Achiever

macrumors 68000
Original poster
Jul 22, 2002
1,696
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Toledo, OH, formerly Twin Cities, MN
I'm curious, since some want laptops smaller than the current iBook, what would it look like? Remember that the eBook would be more of an "educational" book, hence portability is important.

The following pics are the choices...(I don't know how to attach multiple pictures). Remember that I'm not asking whether that PC should be the eBook, just the general form factor and size.

Just curious on what ya'll think. :)

Please post your comments.;)
 
Choice #1

1. This is your classic 12.1" iBook :)
 

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Wow, Under Achiever, you certainly are going out of your way to post several attachments for this one, instead of combining them with PS. :D

Honestly, I would like to see the following specs, assuming the iBook has been in the G4 lane for at least three months:

eBook
Processor: 200MHz slower than fastest coinciding iBook
Screen size: same as iBook 500
Screen resolution: same as iBook 500
Graphics card: GeForce 2 MX
Video Memory: 32MB
Max. System Memory: 1GB DDR-RAM
System Bus: 133MHz
Hard Drive: 40GB
Drive: CD-RW/DVD/Combo/Superdrive
 
did anyone ever see that touch-screen tablet orange ibook a guy made (i forget where i saw it, i'm sure somebody has a link)? i think this would probably be the direction an eBook would take, rather than just a really small ibook. what would be really cool would be the option to use it as an external monitor for another machine and of course, bluetooth networking.
 
first off...that Sony is crap...i will leave it at that. as for being more protable..i think the mac line is very portable as is. I guess the issue would be the cost. but a 200MHz chip seems obnoxiously slow.

i think just putting in older G3s or g4s in them and keeping the current low end iBook stats would be good. 12.1 screen, the 8mb graphics card just leave it at 256ram....it should really be enough power for a studets computer.
 
Originally posted by FattyMembrane
did anyone ever see that touch-screen tablet orange ibook a guy made (i forget where i saw it, i'm sure somebody has a link)? i think this would probably be the direction an eBook would take, rather than just a really small ibook. what would be really cool would be the option to use it as an external monitor for another machine and of course, bluetooth networking.
Click to expand...

Not sure if this is exactly what you're talking about, but here's something similar. :)
20070781_200_1.gif


click
 
>I guess the issue would be the cost. but a 200MHz chip seems obnoxiously slow.

Read my post regarding the processor speed again, uhlawboi80.

>(KC) "Processor: 200MHz slower than fastest coinciding iBook

That means if the iBook had a G4 and was 1GHz at the time of the eBook coming out, the eBook would have an 800MHz processor. If the iBook had 1.3GHz, the eBook would have a 1.1GHz.

>i think just putting in older G3s or g4s in them and keeping the current low end iBook stats would be good.

I think the G4 would be more beneficial, since OS X seems to perform better on the G4 than the G3. Even with the update to Jaguar, OS X still relies on the Velocity Engine of the G4, but performance on the G3 has improved. Even with that, though,
A: Some time back a rumor/report came about, saying that as the speeds of the G3 become rather fast, the prices become rather bloated, and
B: The Velocity Engine still is a necessity in most of the apps Apple developes, and with some third-party software titles. A fast G3 cannot always be fast enough for some people's needs, especially encoding music with iTunes, in which a G4 tears down the walls. :D
 
Some insight......

Alright, I goto henrico county public schools, where they gave all of us those damn iBooks, so lemme share with you some stuff I have learned firsthand after a year or so lugging that thing while walking to school.

They would need to design it for DURABILITY. At school, 3 times I have seen an ibook fall of the desk and the screen shatter. Make the keyboard durable so the keys dont fall off. Use a slot loading CD tray cause the CD trays that come out on the ibooks break constantly. It even happened to me. Make a better battery lock, cause its annoying when you reach for your ibook in your bookbag and realize the battery fell out. This is just a few of the hardware changes they should make.

Dont sacrifice computer speed cause "students dont need it". Have you ever waited 25+ seconds for your computer to wake out of sleep while the teacher starts a lecture, all the while you should be typing. I would love it if it would waken out of sleep in 1-3 seconds. The G3s just arnt cutting it anymore. I would think that 600-700 MHz G4 would work perfectly for the classroom enviroment.

Another crucial thing is BATTERY LIFE! Those ibooks bearly last 5 full periods (about 4 hours) with the screen fully lit and surfing the net via airport. It sucks to goto the other side of the classroom just to axcess an outlet to charge the ibook with. The only way I get by the small battery life is dimming the screen to almost black. But when im 30 my eyes will be gone. :)

It would also be nice for it to be lightweight, but I wouldnt sacrifice any of the above stuff for it being lightwieght. And a handle would be nice!

sorry for rambling on, jsut trying to give some insight as someone who has used apple computers constantly in a classroom setting...

bye

EDIT BIG TYPO :)
 
And you said elsewhere you were a newbie and to be kind? :D

>Another crucial thing is BATTERY LIVE! Those ibooks bearly last 5 full periods (about 4 hours) with the screen fully lit and surfing the net via airport.

I've gotta ask: Why would you be on the Net during a lecture? :eek:

>It sucks to goto the other side of the classroom just to axcess an outlet to charge the ibook with. The only way I get by the small battery life is dimming the screen to almost black.

There is an option to put the iBook Hard Drive to sleep after five minutes of non-HD usage (typing in Appleworks for 5 minutes w/o any background ops. shuts down the HD).

>And a handle would be nice!

Try my clamshell iBook for a while. It has a handle, and I used it yesterday in class.
 
"There is an option to put the iBook Hard Drive to sleep after five minutes of non-HD usage (typing in Appleworks for 5 minutes w/o any background ops. shuts down the HD)."

Is that in a control panel cause we dont have axcess to those....damn rules and blocks.... grumble grumble...
:mad:

And about the lecturing and surfing the net at the same time. By now everyone in the school can play games and type notes at the same time. I bet our county has the highest word per minute count for students in the state. :)

Yeah our teachers have clamshell ibooks, with handles, and they are nice, but its not my desision to have them. (unfortunatly) Anyway, King Cobra, you said you use a ibook in class- where?

And I was saying in the other thread to be kind cause I wasnt sure if it was a simple answer, and I would be flamed. I get "scared" of that cause of a few BBs I goto. :)
 
They basically already did this. Remember the eMate? Just update this with a faster cpu a better OS and a color screen and trim the case a little so it's more like a tablet with a flipover screen and I think you would have a real winner. The world wasn't ready for it when it was first released I think they might be now.
 

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ok, first off, my bad...i misread king cobras post. though im not sure that "students" need that kinda speed either. Guess it depends if its a computer that the student needs to use at home as a primary computer or a computer just for school or kept at the school.

and while i am sure the g3 isnt fast enough for some peoples needs....these students are presumably typing and doing other basic tasks, not encoding music or running maya. guess it depends really how they would be used...not that i can talk, i take notes in my classes on a TiBook 800mhz ;) but this is also my primary computer (plus i didnt have to pay for it!!).

oh and i agree with Raiden...i am always IMing and stuff during lectures or if someone else is presenting a case...you just get used to it. and he does have a point about durability...my school "recomends" a really horrible dell (read: old lattitude with a pIII 1gHz, 128 ram cd rom for 2000$) and my classmates have been breaking drives and their batteries are always falling off when they store them...if apple could make an iBook that solves these problems its a selling point in my opinion!
 
>Is that in a control panel cause we dont have axcess to those....damn rules and blocks.... grumble grumble...
:mad:

According to what you are saying, you probably may not have access to it. It sounds like you are loggin in on your iBook as a "Guest" and the Administrators (the teachers/professors) have limited you to just typing/saving your classwork.

Yeah, it's a control panel. In OS X (assuming you guys are running OS X) under System Preferences there is a control panel labeled "Energy Saver". From there, checkmark the box for advanced settings and set your Hard Drive to go to sleep.

>By now everyone in the school can play games and type notes at the same time. I bet our county has the highest word per minute count for students in the state. :)

Well, considering I get about 20 or 30 AWPM... :(

>Yeah our teachers have clamshell ibooks, with handles, and they are nice, but its not my desision to have them. (unfortunatly) Anyway, King Cobra, you said you use a ibook in class- where?

I only use the iBook for my English class and Study Skills (don't forget, I'm a year away from college), since I need to put in manual labels/corrections and stuff for other courses, and I can't easily do that on a computer (Mac or PC). When I do use my iBook during credited classes, though, it's for note taking and homework. I find it easier than paper/pen. For non-credited classes I can play games/listen to music on it. Sure, I can use my iPod for that, but I like the RadioShack earplugs I got for my iBook more than the iPod earplugs. :D

[Digress]
>And I was saying in the other thread to be kind cause I wasnt sure if it was a simple answer, and I would be flamed. I get "scared" of that cause of a few BBs I goto. :)

Heh. Well, AlphaTech (forum user) isn't around anymore to bash people around like jerks, and I'm hardly ever in the mood for that anymore, either. But I guess it's safe to mention you aren't sure about something or whatever to let people know what level of experience you have for a particular topic. [/Digress]
 
Re: Choice #3

Originally posted by Over Achiever
3. A sub-notebook with a combo drive. This is the computer that inpsired me to start this thread :D

(Fujitsu Lifebook P-2000 series)
Click to expand...

the lifebook is really cool...i like the sony c1 mini laptop

i voted why should apple make an ebook?, but a super small laptop would be cool...anything to help apple's sales and make people switch to mac
 
An eBook should look like the 1st Gen iBook...

If Apple would introduce an eBook I would like to see it take shape as a computer like the old iBook. Sure many might call them "Toliet Seats" but as a teacher I have seen both the new and old together and I can tell you what is much better for education. The carrying handle is an excellent idea...the students carry them all around with the handles. The soft rubber edges were really made for impact. The old iBook was an excellent design for a school computer that had rough use in my opinion.
 
Re: Choice #3

Originally posted by Over Achiever
3. A sub-notebook with a combo drive. This is the computer that inpsired me to start this thread :D

(Fujitsu Lifebook P-2000 series)
Click to expand...

I had to talk my best friend out of buying one of those....... She thought it was great.... I think it looks like one of those cheapo fake bedside alarm clock, radio cd'player things, that actually only do radio......

it''s cheap and tacky...... with less than zero build quality or kudos.........

Grrrrrrrrr......! :p :p :p
 
But I'll add.... to keep the thread on topic......

the eBook should be an ultra slimmed down iBook......... the thing is, it'd be harder to trim the iBook 12" any more than it actually is.... you couldn't have an education machine without a CD drive........
 
Re: An eBook should look like the 1st Gen iBook...

Originally posted by Abercrombieboy
If Apple would introduce an eBook I would like to see it take shape as a computer like the old iBook. Sure many might call them "Toliet Seats" but as a teacher I have seen both the new and old together and I can tell you what is much better for education. The carrying handle is an excellent idea...the students carry them all around with the handles. The soft rubber edges were really made for impact. The old iBook was an excellent design for a school computer that had rough use in my opinion.
Click to expand...

when the white iBooks came out Apple claimed that they were tougher than the original iBooks.

personally i don't think you could build much better than the current iBooks. but you could halve the price if you really wanted to attract 'e-buyers'.

i_b_joshua
 
Re: Re: Choice #3

Originally posted by iGAV


I had to talk my best friend out of buying one of those....... She thought it was great.... I think it looks like one of those cheapo fake bedside alarm clock, radio cd'player things, that actually only do radio......

it''s cheap and tacky...... with less than zero build quality or kudos.........

Grrrrrrrrr......! :p :p :p
Click to expand...

hehe...I thought it was cool. Its perfect for those that want something small to type on, surf the net (it has wireless). The high resolution screen is a plus, although many have said its a bit too small for them. And the widescreen (5:3 or 15:9) is nice for watching DVDs...and its not that expensive. Oh yeah, the hi-cap battery lasts up to 7 hours (prob 5 hours real life), but the combo drive is swappable for another battery, a plus for those that don't need the drive, and want to work up to 14 hours. Heck, you can lighten it and the drive out...ok, i'm sounding like a commercial:eek::D

But hey, each to their own opinion.:D
 
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